


every day is special (with you by my side)

by ColorMeParanoid



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alec Lightwood's Birthday, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, this is very self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid
Summary: Alec Lightwood doesn't like celebrating his birthday. Fortunately for him, he has a very understanding boyfriend.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	every day is special (with you by my side)

Alec wakes up to kisses pressed all over his shoulders and neck and buries a smile into his pillow. Even though he's still half asleep and barely aware of where he is, he'd know that touch anywhere. He doesn't know what time it is, only that it's far too early to be awake but he still arches into the touch until Magnus is pressed all over the length of his back, his chuckled breath tickling the sparse hair at the back of his neck.

"Darling," Magnus says, his words coming out as a sleep rough whisper, "you're going to be late for work."

Alec shakes his head, burrowing deeper into the comforter. "It's-" _my birthday_ , he nearly says but manages to stop himself just in time, "-my day off." Both statements were correct.

Alec never really celebrated his birthday. He acknowledges it as a thing that is happening, a marker of yet another year gone by and lets himself indulge in some ridiculously expensive chocolate cake from the local bakery after his evening patrol. There really wasn't anything he wanted or needed that he could actually have, so what was the point of celebrating?

His siblings, on the other hand, were somewhat obsessed with the mundane culture and it had only gotten worse since Clary and Simon came into their lives. Now birthdays were all about parties and elaborately wrapped gifts and the thought of being the center of all of that attention made Alec shrink in embarrassment. It wasn’t happening, not if he had anything to say about it.

"Really?" Magnus sounds surprised but rather pleased about the revelation. The two of them had been quite busy lately and all Alec really wanted for his birthday was to spend some quality alone time with his boyfriend. It had taken some creative maneuvering to get a full day off instead of just missing out on the evening patrol, but he’d gotten it done. He still felt a little guilty about being selfish and indulging himself in his little fantasy, but seeing how it was encouraged by literally everyone in his life, Alec figured that being a little selfish on occasion wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

When Magnus prods Alec and rolls him over onto his back, Alec goes willingly, only glaring at him a little for being disturbed. "Have any plans for today?"

It would be so easy to tell Magnus all about his ideas for the day, and he’s sure that Magnus would move heaven and hell itself to make them happen. Which is exactly why Alec can’t tell him. The last thing he wanted was for Magnus to cancel on his clients and blow off his own plans just to makes Alec's little wish come true. He was used to not getting what he wanted. Getting to wake up with Magnus by his side was already a major improvement over his previous birthdays, so he really couldn't complain. 

Besides, he knew Magnus. He was a self-proclaimed party king; he’d take advantage of this opportunity and run with it, Alec was sure of it. He still threw regular birthday parties for his cat, for angel's sake. And while Alec loved him - because it was love, there was no doubt about it - Alec was not about to waste his day off on a party, especially not one he was at the very center off. He was too weak to refuse Magnus if he tried to coax him into throwing one, so he figured that by not telling Magnus about it at all, he'd avoid the issue altogether. 

In the end, he simply shakes his head and vows to himself that he'll tell Magnus about his birthday soon. He was genuinely surprised that Magnus didn't already know about it. Alec was definitely expecting him to team up with his siblings to get him to go out, but apparently, the warlock was simply worried he'd be late for work.

"Can we go back to sleep now?" Alec asks, a slight bit of a whine in his voice because it _was_ early and it was his day off and the two did not go together at all.

"Of course," Magnus says, crawling down Alec's body and under the covers with an all too familiar smirk that never failed to make Alec shiver in anticipation. "Let me apologize for waking you up so soon first?"

He looks up at Alec with his golden eyes on display and hair a mess, waiting for his consent. As if Alec could ever say no to Magnus when he looked like sin personified, no matter the occasion. He gives a shaky nod and Magnus disappears under the covers.

Alec loses all coherent thought for quite a while after that.

*

The next time Alec wakes up, it’s to a cold bed and a surprising lack of sun glaring in his face. When he peeks out the window, he finally registers the soft tapping noises as raindrops hitting the glass. The weather is cloudy and rainy and Alec shivers a little at the chilly air coming through the open window. Eternally hopeful, he reaches for Magnus, only to find a cold, empty space where he'd usually be and groans into his pillow. Of course, Magnus was long gone already. He'd told him he had an early meeting that would take up much of his day and he probably wouldn't be back until late in the afternoon; unless something else came up like it was wont to do.

So much for his plans for a perfect day. He should have known that it wouldn’t work out the way he wanted it to. Maybe he should have told Magnus about it being his birthday. He’d have to suffer through a party but at least they’d be spending it together.

He’s in the middle of pouting about the whole thing when he hears a noise coming from the kitchen, metal pans clinging together and he tenses up. It’s late in the morning and by all accounts, Magnus should have been gone by now. The sound is quickly followed by footsteps that move towards the bedroom and he lets his hand drop down the side of the bed, reaching under the mattress for his trusty blade.

What he isn't expecting is for Magnus himself to walk into the bedroom carrying a large tray filled with an array of breakfast foods, still in his sleep clothes. He hands the tray to Alec to hold as he crawls into bed and then places it on top of their laps. He leans over for a kiss that Alec, even in his confused state, readily returns.

"What's all this?" Alec manages to ask. It was far from the first time that Magnus made him breakfast, but it was the first time that he'd allowed any food on his bed, a peeve that both of them shared.

Magnus shrugs, breaking off a piece of still warm waffle and feeding it to Alec who shyly takes the offering. "You have a day off, I took a day off. Might as well take full advantage of it, wouldn't you say?"

Alec frowns. "I thought you had a few clients lined up later today." He remembers asking Magnus about it at the start of the week and being disappointed when Magnus revealed his full schedule. He was thrilled about the change, of course, but it didn't make any sense.

Magnus clears his throat and shifts his gaze towards the tray, looking almost sheepish. "I might have made some calls this morning while you were asleep." When Alec simply stares at him, shocked, Magnus ads, "Nothing that couldn't be easily rescheduled, I assure you. Unless you had something else in mind for today?"

Alec is shaking his head as soon as he dares to voice the silly thought aloud. "This is perfect," he says, leaning in for a kiss.

"Good." Magnus grins at him and hands him a fork. "Now let’s eat while the food is still warm.”

After the food has been consumed, the weather outside had only gotten worse and by mutual agreement, they decide that staying in is by far the best option. Magnus takes the opportunity and runs with it, talking Alec into a movie marathon that they kept putting off and they spend the afternoon curled up on the living room couch, watching movies and eating snacks and truth be told, making out like two horny teenagers.

Alec had been sleeping over at the loft pretty often for a few weeks now and they spent as much time as they could together, but it was never enough, especially with their respective jobs. At first, both of them are a little on edge, too reluctant to truly relax, waiting for a phone to go off or for a knock on the door that never comes.

It feels like a miracle and neither of them take it for granted. The chance to spend more than a few hours at a time truly alone was absolutely priceless.

Alec never knew that doing nothing with someone could feel so satisfying. He's usually always on the go and any moment where he could be doing something productive and isn't, he feels guilty. But not today. He could never regret spending more time with Magnus. What made him particularly happy was seeing Magnus enjoying it too. They doze off together in the afternoon, curled tightly together on the couch to stave off the chill of the day, breaths deep and even.

The one thing that does break the silence is a ping from Magnus' phone in the early evening and they both groan at the interruption. Well rested and free of all responsibilities for the foreseeable future, their hands have started wondering and Alec couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do with his time than, well, Magnus. And the feeling was very much mutual, judging by the frustrated groan Magnus lets out when his phone goes off yet again.

Magnus blindly reaches out a hand and picks up his phone, glaring at whatever he sees there before he sighs and turns his puppy eyes on Alec.

"No," Alec tells him. They were so close to accomplishing an entire day without interruption and things were moving in quite an interesting direction and Alec refused to let it all fall through now. He should be grateful they got this much time to spend together at all, yet here he was pouting because he couldn't have all of Magnus’ undivided attention, all of the time.

"It won't take long, I promise," Magnus says. "I simply have a package to pick up from an old friend and there's a nice little restaurant nearby where we could have dinner. It is a perfect time for dinner in Paris right now..." he trails off, looking at Alec expectantly and Alec makes a show of sighing and acting put out even though both of them knew he was a sucker for French pastries.

"Fine, I'll go." He heaves himself up from the couch and shoots Magnus a look. "But we're coming back here straight after dinner to finish what we started."

"Obviously," Magnus agrees, rushing to the bedroom to get ready. "Now hurry up! The sooner we leave the sooner we can come back!"

Shaking his head, Alec follows Magnus into the bedroom.

*

It takes Magnus surprisingly little time to get ready, as if he already had an outfit prepared and ready to go but Alec doesn't question it, glad to not have to wait too long for food. They hadn't had a proper meal since breakfast and he was starving.

Even more surprising is the fact that Magnus really was telling the truth when he said it was a quick transaction. He knew how these things usually went, but true to word, they make their way to a secluded mansion and after a simple knock on the door, a latch opens up and a hand shoots out with a package wrapped in brown wrapping paper, tied together with a dark green satin bow. 

Alec blinks at Magnus, surprised at the efficiency of it all as Magnus banishes the package presumably back to the loft and offers him a hand. "Shall we?"

Together, they step through the portal and come out right behind the restaurant. If Alec didn't know any better, he'd think that they were here just for the food.

He shakes off all of the suspicion, because he's being ridiculous, and decides to enjoy the evening with his wonderful boyfriend instead.

The food is delicious, just how Magnus said it would be and they chat between bites of cheesy pasta and sips of dark red vine that Alec takes a particular liking to. After the meal, they share a chocolate souffle for dessert and take a stroll through the city, letting the tension build before they return to the loft to finish what they started.

“I wish I could take you to Peru,” Magnus tells him, looking all wistful as he takes in the scenery around them. “You’d love it.”

Alec wasn’t sure exactly what happened to have Magnus banned from an entire country – isn’t sure that Magnus knew it either, if his stories were to be believed – but he still wished there was something he could do to help. Seeing as there wasn’t, he pulls Magnus closer and says, “I’d love anywhere you took me, as long as I’m there with you.”

Magnus’ eyes flash gold and his lips twitch up in a smile even as he shakes his head.

“You’re such a sap.”

Alec grins at him as Magnus summons a portal and takes his hand to pull him through it. They tumble out on the other side straight into the living room and while Alec would be completely fine with getting it on right then and there, Magnus insists on taking things into the bedroom.

“Trust me,” Magnus says as he guides him to the bedroom. “I have a surprise for you.”

Alec can’t even begin to comprehend exactly what Magnus has in store for him, just that he was more than prepared for whatever it was after hours of teasing. Once in the bedroom, Magnus pushes Alec until he’s sitting on the bed before he steps away, much to Alec's great displeasure.

“What are you-“ Alec tries to say, frowning up at Magnus who shuts him up with a brief kiss.

“I’ll be right back.” Magnus disappears into the depth of his closet and Alec sighs, flopping down onto the bed. He's sure whatever Magnus had in mind would be more than worth the wait, but it didn't help with his impatience in the slightest. He lifts himself up onto his elbows and watches as Magnus walks back out, the familiar package they’d picked up together in his hands. “Here,” he says as he hands it over to Alec. “This is for you.”

“For me?”

He looks up at Magnus, confused to find the warlock already looking back at him, watching his reaction with a small smile. “Happy birthday, darling,” he says and Alec feels his stomach drop.

“You knew,” Alec says, almost accusingly. He doesn’t know why he’s acting so defensive, feeling so deceived. “How?”

Magnus shoots him a look. “You never take days off, Alexander. I was understandably concerned. I messaged Isabelle as soon as you went back to sleep to see if something happened; if maybe you’d been injured and didn’t think to tell me about it.” Yet another sharp look that Alec doesn’t bother protesting because he knew Magnus was right. “She was kind enough to inform me that it was your birthday. She seemed surprised that I didn’t already know.”

“And yet you didn’t say anything.”

“I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d tell me about it yourself,” Magnus tells him, forever understanding. “Besides, I was under the impression that you’d prefer to not make it into a thing and I was only respecting your wishes.” Alec looks pointedly at the still wrapped package in his lap and Magnus’ bites down on a smile threatening to emerge. “Though I couldn’t just _not_ give you a present. You don’t have to think of it as a birthday gift if it makes you feel better.”

Alec looks down at the gift clutched in his lap, guilt churning in his gut. “I’m sorry,” he says, feeling like an absolute asshole. He'd basically been lying by omission this entire day and Magnus didn't say a thing. He let him get away with it, simply because that’s what Alec wanted. Not to mention that he’d still gone out of his way to get Alec a present.

Alec didn’t deserve any of this.

Magnus sighs and Alec feels the bed dip beside him before Magnus is pressed all against his side, a comforting warmth. “I understand why you didn’t tell me about it, I truly do. I just wish you trusted me enough to know that I’d respect your wishes and not force you into celebrating it in the way you didn’t want to.”

“I do trust you,” Alec insists, feeling awful for making Magnus doubt that the most. “I guess I’m just used to people closest to me steamrolling over what I want “for my own good”. I know they mean well, but every single year Jace and Izzy try forcing a party on me and it never ends well. I know you love parties too and I knew that if you tried to convince me to throw one, I wouldn’t be able to disappoint you.”

“Oh darling,” Magnus says, leaning in even closer, one of his strong arms draping over Alec’s shoulders. “You could never disappoint me. But next time? Please talk to me instead of keeping it to yourself. It’s not going to be easy, but I promise it will be worth it in the long run.”

Alec nods. “I promise.”

“Good.” Magnus pulls away from him then and points at the still wrapped gift in his lap. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Alec picks up the package and the all too familiar nerves show up all over again. He absolutely dreaded opening gifts in front of other people, because they always had certain expectations on what his reaction to it should be. He was never going to be the kind of person who started jumping out of excitement and made a whole show out of it, no matter how much he loved the gift.

Despite Magnus being so understanding, Alec still finds himself alight with anxiety as he pulls at the bow holding the wrapping paper together and letting the package unravel. He can tell already that it’s clothes and while he appreciates the thought, he’d seen the things Magnus had in his closet. He couldn’t imagine liking anything remotely similar to his extravagant outfits.

Alec pulls carefully at the wrapping paper to reveal the item inside. His fingers run over the dark green fabric of what appears to be a sweater made out the softest and warmest material he’d ever had the pleasure to touch, and that was saying something considering the kind of clothes Magnus wore. He stretches it out and holds it against his body; a seemingly perfect fit. It was far from what he was expecting, yet somehow perfect at the same time.

“The key to giving someone a perfect gift is to give them what you know they’ll like, even if it’s not your style,” Magnus tells him, a knowing look in his eyes. Apparently, Alec hadn’t done a great job of hiding his apprehension. “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Alec murmurs, unable to stop touching the soft fabric. It must have been outrageously expensive but he doesn’t bother bringing it up. Magnus had made it clear at the very start of their relationship that his money was his to spend however he wanted, and if that meant spoiling his boyfriend in the process, so be it. “But you still didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know.” He banishes the wrapping paper and takes the sweater from Alec’s hands, setting it gently onto the nightstand, safely out of the way. “But I wanted to. I imagine that you’ll do the same when I tell you that I don’t expect you to get me anything for my birthday either.”

Alec thinks about it for a moment before he nods. Yeah, Magnus was right. He definitely wouldn’t let it just go either.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Magnus says, draping himself over Alec’s lap. “Why don’t we pick up where we left off, huh? End the night with a _bang_ , so to speak.”

He wriggles his eyebrows in an exaggerated way and Alec dissolves into laughter. If anyone had told him that Magnus loved making ridiculous puns just to see him laugh, he wouldn’t have believed them. But oh, it was very much a thing.

He lets Magnus all but tackle him down onto the bed and melts into his touch. He knows that tomorrow both of them will be back at their regular work schedules and their time together will decrease back down to stolen moments in the midst of chaos. He might as well fully enjoy the time together they had left.

As far as birthdays went, Alec thinks as the sound of their laughter rings through the loft, he’d call this one a success.


End file.
